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The most popular horror movie the year you were born
How many have kept you up at night?
Are you a Scream kid, Halloween baby or were you brought into the world when Silence of The Lambs had its moment? Check out all the big films from the year you were born below:
1970: Count Dracula
Monster movies were really popular in 1970, probably because everyone was on "dope." A handful of them were released in one year, mostly having something to do with Dracula, Frankenstein, Bigfoot, or all three. This take on Bram Stoker's classic novel stars Christopher Lee as Dracula and is, comparatively, the least corny of the bunch.
1971: Willard
Based on the novel Ratman's Notebooks by Stephen Gilbert, this tells the story of a social misfit who loves rats. Sure, why not? Bruce Davison (whom you may recognise from a few of the X-Men movies) plays Willard, the titular rat fan. I think we can all agree that there's nothing grosser than rats, and that's the main point to drive home here.
1972: Frogs
Frogs, man. Just straight-up frogs. Aside from being an actual movie about frog terror, this has the best poster text ever: "If you are squeamish stay home!!! Cold green skin against soft, warm flesh! A croak. A scream!" Apparently frogs were an issue that needed to be put on the table in 1972.
1973: The Exorcist
If you see this movie even once, you will be scared for the rest of your life, and that's a fact. Linda Blair plays Regan MacNeil, a little girl who becomes possessed by the devil after playing with an Ouija board. Then she barfs on everyone and says nasty things about putting a cross in her coo-coo. Good times!
1974: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
There's so much to be afraid of in this movie: hitchhikers, gas stations, run-down towns, people who kill your friends and then make clothes out of their faces, etc. The grainy cinematography really adds to the chill factor.
1975: Jaws
I challenge you to think of a horror movie released since 1975 that uses music to inspire fear as effectively as Jaws does. When you hear that "dun-dun, dun-dun, dun-dun" sound (you know what I'm talking about), you know shit's about to get bloody.
1976: Carrie
Based on a novel by Stephen King, this tells the story of awkward, sheltered Carrie White, who uses her telekinetic abilities to get revenge on kids who make fun of her at school, as well as on her crazy mother. Even though she does kill a bunch of people with her mind, it's hard to not feel bad for Carrie in this.
1977: Eraserhead
This is David Lynch's first feature film, and while it's not a traditional horror movie per se, it's definitely terrifying. You could watch this a million times and still feel freaked out from the moment you press play all the way to the end credits.
1978: Halloween
An undeniable classic that pairs a constantly running and screaming Jamie Lee Curtis with a lurking creeper named Michael Myers. This movie set off the whole "Want to make something scary? Put a guy in a mask" trend.
You can watch Halloween plus a load of these other great horror movies on NOW TV.
1979: Alien
Rarely do you see strong female leads in horror movies, but this one has two — one human, and one alien. Sigourney Weaver kicks ass all over the place and manages to survive without having anything disgusting erupt out of her chest.
1980: The Shining
Only a few movies based on Stephen King books come anywhere close to being as good as the book itself (flashback to 1976's Carrie) but this is one of them. This has it all: elevators filled with blood, Shelley Duvall, ghost twins, and Jack Nicholson at his craziest.
1981: The Evil Dead
If you've ever dated someone who was really into metal, chances are you saw the poster for this movie in their room/flat/mum's basement. Mixing a cabin in the woods with teens becoming possessed by demons is nothing new now, but it all started with this classic and hasn't really been done as well since.
1982: Poltergeist
You might think plenty of things are scarier than a little girl talking to ghosts in her television or an odd woman with a high-pitched voice investigating spirits in a haunted house, but there isn't. You know a movie is a classic when it has its own catch phrase: "They're heeeeeeeere." *Chills.*
1983: The Hunger
Most horror movies are traditionally gross in at least a handful of ways — people look gross, or they do gross things, or the setting is gross. While some gross stuff does occasionally happen in this movie, it's primarily about not-gross sexy vampires, one of whom is played by David Bowie. You can't lose.
1984: A Nightmare on Elm Street
This poses the question, "What would happen if the insane things that went down in your nightmares could actually harm you?" You know all those dreams you have about pooping in front of a crowd? Now think about whether you'd rather be eaten by an actual monster with a knife glove or have those poop dreams come true. If you think you prefer the poop dreams, you might want to move on to 1985.
1985: Fright Night
A kid who's obsessed with horror movies suspects his neighbours are up to something otherworldly. This is another classic take on vampires, but with sort of a punk-rock twist in the form of one of the coolest horror movie characters ever — Evil Ed. (This was remade in 2011 with Colin Farrell, but that one wasn't nearly as good as the original.)
1986: The Fly
Do you dream of a love so strong that you wouldn't even care if you saw the person you're dating throw up everywhere and then be like, "Oh, wait, my ear actually just fell off?" Yes? Then this is for you. Super-young and attractive Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis can do no wrong, even in one of the grossest movies ever.
1987: The Lost Boys
Is it still a horror movie if you would absolutely sleep with every single person in it? This classic about hot teen vampires in California ended up setting off a vampire/goth frenzy that I honestly hope will last forever.
1988: Child's Play
Have we all come to the conclusion by now that dolls of any sort are terrifying? Because be honest: You have never in your life seen a doll on a shelf and not thought, Please don't kill me in my sleep. Thanks. This movie about a doll that gets possessed and kills people is the absolute worst, but in the best possible way.
1989: Pet Sematary
Dead kids? Check. Dead cats? Yep. Dead kids who come back to life and hide under your bed and slash at your ankles with a knife? Totally. This is another entry born from the twisted brain of Stephen King, and it's terribly amazing.
You can watch Pet Sematary plus a load of these other great horror movies on NOW TV.
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